Why one Bolton Wanderers star thinks Cardiff City could 'crumble' | OneFootball

Will Cardiff City's automatic promotion bid fall apart? This Bolton Wanderers star thinks it could - and here's why...

Tomorrow afternoon's lunchtime kick-off between Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers could shape up to be a decisive one in the race for promotion out of League One, with both sides still in the hunt to join Lincoln City in the Championship next season.

Lincoln officially secured promotion with a dramatic 2-1 victory at Reading on Easter Monday and are poised to bring the League One title to Sincil Bank, having opened up a staggering twelve-point advantage over second-placed Cardiff.

It was the Bluebirds who, for most of the campaign, appeared primed to go all the way and lift the title themselves, having largely sat at the summit of the league table before losing vital footing in recent times.

Cardiff have, however, won just one of their last six games, with the Welsh side's shock 2-0 defeat at home to Lincoln at the start of last month kick-starting an evident slump in form which has seen Brian Barry-Murphy's men surrender vital ground through a succession of frustrating draws.

For Cardiff supporters, the consolation has been an inability from the fellow promotion-chasing pack - namely third-placed Bradford City and Bolton - to capitalise on City's patchy recent form.

During that same time, Bolton have taken just two wins from their six outings whereas Bradford have four victories but dropped crucial points against lower-level opposition in Wigan AthleticMansfield Town and Burton Albion to maintain Cardiff's healthy advantage.

The Bluebirds are seven points clear of Bradford and hold an eight-point margin over the Trotters ahead of tomorrow's showdown in the Welsh capital, while also having a game in hand to be played at Huddersfield Town next Tuesday, although defeat to Steven Schumacher's side could ask serious questions of their automatic promotion aspirations and there's one particular Wanderers player who has explained why he thinks they could just throw it all away.

Bolton Wanderers star Ruben Rodrigues on why Cardiff City could crumble in promotion race

The player in question is talented midfielder Ruben Rodrigues, who returned to English football in January by joining Bolton and has made seven league appearances to date after a brief spell in Brazil with top-flight outfit Vitoria.

Formerly of Notts County and Oxford United, the Portuguese playmaker spoke to Bolton's official media in the build-up to tomorrow afternoon's crunch affair and said one thing that the Trotters faithful will be praying for in the coming days and weeks.

Rodrigues explained that Bolton understand the levels Cardiff have set for much of the season, despite having defeated the Bluebirds at home back in October, before claiming that the Trotters could pinch all three points in the Welsh capital and cause Barry-Murphy's side to crumble.

That outcome would narrow the gap to five points, and while Bolton could still find themselves positioned below Bradford if the Bantams continue their two-match winning streak with victory at home to Stevenage, Schumacher and Graham Alexander's side's will lock horns on the penultimate gameweek of the season and neither outfit can be discounted from the automatic promotion race quite just yet.

Of Cardiff, Rodrigues stated: "No, we know how good they are as a team, and they have not been the best in the last couple of weeks.

"We just need to win because you never know what can happen in football.

"We can win there, and they might crumble, and whatever happens, we will see. But we are definitely excited for the game on Saturday."

Bolton Wanderers are playing Cardiff City at the right time

At almost any other stage of the season, Bolton would've been sweating over a trip to face Cardiff away from home. Now, however, the Bluebirds are at their most vulnerable, appear to have run out of steam with a young and arguably-overstretched squad and, unfortunately for Barry-Murphy, could be there for the taking.

The Irishman will be bidding to ensure that's not the case and Cardiff's current form is anything but an exact depiction of the side which has been built and developed over the course of the season, with City still capable of turning it back on and blowing just about any side in this division out of the water at their best, although they haven't been anywhere near those levels for a number of weeks and simply must avoid defeat when the Trotters roll into town.

With Cardiff's slump in mind, it's perhaps little wonder why Bolton players are smelling blood and fancying their chances, but it's also worth noting that their own inconsistent form has got in the way of a vital opportunity to seize second place.

Either way, there's so much on the line heading into tomorrow, which could just define whether Cardiff really will give Bolton and Bradford a chance of taking the remaining automatic promotion place.